Roy Halladay had a pair of awful starts to the season and then had three solid performances before one of the worst outings to his career in his most recent start. The right-hander tries to rebound this afternoon when the Philadelphia Phillies conclude their four-game series against the Miami Marlins.
Halladay surrendered nine hits and eight runs over 3 2/3 innings of a 14-2 loss at Cleveland Tuesday. Prior to that, he gave up a total of four runs in a three-start span, going 2-0 in that time. The two-time Cy Young Award winner has fared well against the Marlins in his career by going 8-4 with a 2.93 ERA in 15 starts. That includes a road win April 14.
On the other side, Kevin Slowey tries to get his first victory since the 2010 season. The right-hander, who turned 29 yesterday, is 0-10 over his last 22 appearances (15 starts) and hasn't had a winning decision since Sept. 18, 2010.
Slowey is coming off his fourth straight no-decision on Tuesday against the Mets. He held New York to one run on four hits with eight strikeouts in eight innings.
This will mark Slowey's third career start against Philadelphia. He didn't factor in the decision of the April 14 contest, won 2-1 by the Phillies. Slowey is 0-1 with a 1.59 ERA in two road starts this season.
Last night, Jose Fernandez dazzled Philadelphia hitters over seven scoreless innings to guide the Marlins to a 2-0 win.
Fernandez (1-2) allowed just one hit and two baserunners during his stint and retired 17 straight batters before issuing a walk in the seventh inning. The 20-year-old rookie also struck out a career-high nine to earn his first career win in the majors.
"Jose was great out there. He had command of the strike zone. Their lineup is a tough lineup to plow through, but he was great," said Marlins manager Mike Redmond.
Marcell Ozuna and Chris Valaika both clubbed solo homers for the Marlins, who had dropped three straight entering the contest.
Freddy Galvis provided the lone hit for the Phillies, who were shut out for the fifth time this season. Cole Hamels (1-4) allowed four hits, including both homers, while striking out six over eight innings.
"I went out and I was able to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish except for that part when you get that 'W' by your name," said Hamels.
Miami lost two of three at home to Philadelphia from April 12-14.
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